Gregg won the first half, and Greg won the second. Toronto couldn't break us down in the first 45 and we created a few good opportunities, then their halftime adjustment countered our game plan and gave them a chance. Meram picked a bad time to have a very bad game. Mensah is just plain bad and lucky he wasn't sent off. Note: This doesn't mean they should die, they probably feel horrible for how they played. Abu and Trapp had about as good of a game as you could've possibly hoped for. Santos played well considering he was playing in a position he hasn't played in all season. Pipa had some great moments and some poor ones too. Sad for the fans and the team. Toronto is good, but we had them where we wanted them in the first half.
There were only 20 MLS players who combined for 20+ Goals+Assists this season. Meram, Higuain, and Kamara were among them. So this hypercritical "Meram/Higuain/Kamara are trash" hot takes are absolute garbage. Stop it. Players have bad games. Meram had a very bad game. It wasn't because he was trying to sabotage the season. It wasn't because he's from Michigan. It wasn't because he doesn't care. It wasn't because he's trash. I'd trade BigSoccer overreactions well before I'd trade Justin Meram. You can be critical of someone's play without taking it to an extreme.
TFC fan here. That was a good series by the Crew. It could easily have gone the other way. Had the Crew been playing anyone but TFC I would have been cheering for the Crew given everything that's going on off the field. I'm really hoping our teams will still be playing each other in Columbus next year.
Much appreciated and thanks to TFC fans for the support they have given SavetheCrew. I imagine we'll play next year, not sure about 2019.
It's hard for me to take seriously the negative opinionating by fans on this site, including yours truly, regarding the team's performance. Mid-season, not one of us gave the club any chance of doing anything in the playoffs. Most thought we'd miss the playoffs entirely, or be right on the bubble. The team's performance was far, far beyond what any of us thought - and stated with conviction - was possible. And, true to form, we now share our 'expert' thoughts about how we under-performed in the playoffs. I love you guys, but you're a bunch of idiots, too. For all the BS he took from us fans on, well, BS, Berhalter deserves some serious congratulations for what he managed to get out of this team.
This wasn't just winning a game. Hosting the final and giving Precourt and Garber a huge ******** you is what we really wanted. We were so close. On a side note, I still like Steffen.
Someone needs to explain to soccer pundits what follow up questions are, and how not to accept a b.s. answer.
Or use a phone? Apparently he had one that worked well enough to advise that he was "stuck in traffic".
A group watching at my place discussed this as well. One egregious example was a close up of GK Bono without the ball for about 7 hippopotamuses while, based on crowd noise, some sort of Toronto fast break was occurring. Sheesh.
This does seem to be the case with the cable commentators, but I don't get why. You'd think ESPN and Fox would have all of the leverage which theoretically should allow some hard hitting or at least neutral/unbiased coverage by the pundits. While ESPN is hemorrhaging right now, I still think MLS needs the ESPN/FOX TV dollars more than ESPN/FOX need an extra game or two a week. Plus with the US out of the Word Cup, MLS SUM revenues are going to take a hit. Why do the soccer reporters all seem to lick the MLS boot to at least some extent?
Still don't like him, but it takes character and fortitude to publicly state you ********ed up. pic.twitter.com/DGc93gU6y0— Justin Meram (@JustinMeram) November 30, 2017
Yes, a fairly large group thought that we'd squeak into the playoffs and get booted out right away. No one here argued for a moment that we'd end the season as one of the hottest teams in MLS, win two playoff series and be one game away from hosting MLS Cup. Mostly, we were sure this team was on a dead end path as long as Berhalter was coach. We were wrong.
Yeah, and in how many games where we needed him to come up big did this vaunted stellar player show up and produce? Zilch. The only one he got in the playoffs was against NYCFC at home. Some time you have to recognize that to be a "great" player, you have to show up and perform during those clutch moments and Meram is far and away NOT that guy. Give me the orange cone. At least it's consistent.
Which got us to the next round. Without that goal, we do not advance (or any of the other three goals that night).
Need I remind you of the two absolute sitters he fudged up in that game, too?... No, he was not clutch in that NYCFC game because at the point when he scored, THERE WAS NO PRESSURE. You can't call it clutch when you didn't know you needed it at the time. Now, if he'd have scored in that NYCFC away leg where we NEEDED goals, then yes - he would have finally stepped up and been clutch for once in his miserable life.
On the final play of the game, I'm convinced that if there was a good ball served on the free kick, Steffen would have scored, thereby confirming his status as a BAMF.